Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony: How Celebrity Marriages Die

Jennifer Lopez seven-year marriage to singer Marc Anthony ended as surprisingly as it began, but it’s not hard to see the forces that drove them apart. Round up the usual suspects: Advancing age, career conflicts, time apart and most likely career jealousies.

Lopez, 41, and Anthony, 42, were married in 2004, after she was on the rebound from her highly publicized break-up with Ben Affleck.

Her career had reached a low point, with her disastrous 2003 movie “Gigli,” also starring Afleck.

The movie was so bad it nearly put an end to both of their careers and led to the end of their relationship.

She effectively put it on hold and started seeing Anthony, whom she married in a secret ceremony at her home.

In many ways they seemed the perfect match. They had the same background, similar careers and were at the same stage in their careers.

But after having twins Max and Emme, who are now three years old, Lopez was anxious to jump-start her career.

It got off to a rough start with a New Year’s Eve 2010 performance in New York City that critics derided because of her ill-fitting, body-hugging cat suit.

But she’s largely succeeded in re-establishing herself as a celebrity, thanks largely to “American Idol,” if not a major pop star.

The hit Fox music show has given the public the chance to get reacquainted with her and her infectious smile, and also helped relaunch her movie career.

Her comeback was solidified after she topped People’s ‘Most Beautiful’ list this year, and starred in the 2010 film “The Back-up Plan.”

The movie opened at No. 1, and through mid-July had grossed more than $77 million globally at the box office, which makes it an unqualified hit for a rom-com.

It also proved Lopez could still carry a movie. She got generally good reviews, although the movie was panned overall by critics.

Now, Lopez is also reportedly returning to racy movie roles. She’s expected to appear topless in her upcoming movie “What To Expect When You’re Expecting.”

Lopez appeared topless in three 1990s movies “U Turn,” “Money Train” and “Out Of Sight,” but cut back on those roles after marrying Anthony.

Her career resurgence likely did not sit well with Anthony.

There have been reports that Anthony complained that Jennifer was not being the dutiful wife and was spending less and less time with the kids.

“Jennifer has been very open about how much she is tired of dealing with Marc’s bad attitude,” a source told gossip site X17Online.

“She couldn’t wait to make this announcement. She has been planning this for months but wanted to make sure her assets were protected before she files,” the source said.